A Second Chance
by thegirlandthepen
Summary: Somebody was watching the newborns. That somebody had no other choice, but to go undercover, in order to save the Cullens' and Bella. That person never anticipated that one man's mercy would change her life, forever. Riley/OC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I just can't get enough of that Twilight fan fiction.. So here I am again, back with a new story. A new romance, with a new character. Its something a little different, and I hope you like it!**  
**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all characters are owned by Stephenie Meyer.**

There was no other way.

You have to fight fire with fire, ice with ice. You had to match the abilities of what you were up against, no matter what the consequences may be. And I was willing. I had run out of options, tried everything I could. There was just no stopping them, I was alone out there. I had no other choice. There was simply, no other way. It wasn't difficult, the first thing I had to do was to find an identity, so to speak. One I could maintain full control, and take over. It took a little while, this wasn't as simple as choosing something to wear. But I found an almost perfect match. A perfect fit, so to speak. The body took a little getting used to. You don't just wear it as a disguise, you become the other person. Their needs become yours, their abilities now belong to you. You have to listen to it, follow its rules, its imperative. But there was one thing I had to ignore.

The thirst for the forbidden fruit. It was unbearable. The constant burn in my throat, every waking moment it was all I thought about. All I dreamed about. I couldn't trust myself around people, for never knowing what I would be capable of doing. I had to feed to keep the body strong, but I knew I had to compromise. There was no way I was doing that, it went against everything I stood for. Defeated the object of what I was there for. So I hunted, nothing amazing at first. A few deer, some elks. Nothing fully satisfied me, it was like eating Tofu. It keeps you strong, but that's about all it does. Eventually I managed to snare a mountain lion. I didn't like the kill, I didn't enjoy it. But I had to tell myself that I had no other choice, I made it as quick and as painless as possible. A simple snap of the neck, I drank from the main artery, not wasting a drop.

I knew soon enough I would have to convert to the real stuff, but I just couldn't face it. Not yet.

And when I thought I'd fed enough, I would rest. And lie in wait for those I was course I couldn't sleep, that went with the territory of this new body I was wearing. Most of my senses were the same as always, heightened. The only things different to me was of course the thirst and the insomnia. I found that the myths weren't real after all, I didn't fry in sunlight. Just, sparkled. Like a thousand diamonds were encrusted underneath my porcelain skin. It was ridiculous to say the least. But being out in the wild, I barely encountered any hikers - thankfully as I'm not sure I would have been able to have kept full control. So I never needed to conceal myself. Not that was much danger of the sunlight exposing me, Forks being the rainiest city in the continental U.S.

But one day I came across a trail, and a scent I was not familiar with. It was a scent similar to the forest, but it didn't blend in. Meaning it had come from someone, or something, and it had been crossing my path more often that I wanted it too. It wasn't vampire, the smell of those being sickly sweet. It was musky, and fresh. It smelled like all the things that reminded you of nature. The smell of fresh morning dew, the musk of wood, just cut grass and wet earth. I didn't know whether to worry or not. Maybe someone else was tracking the vampires. Although that was impossible, it was far too early for anybody to have realised. I had been to the future, where the problem had gotten out of hand. There were 27 deaths, I had to go back. Intervene before it even got to that stage. There was a small group to begin with, led by two Vampires.

One being Victoria.

A powerful, red headed vampire, with moves a sleek as a felines, she was old so she was very strong. Hell bent on revenge for the death of her mate, she wanted to create an army. She had tried countless times before alone, but failed. So she needed to create the perfect disposable army, and she couldn't do it alone.I would lie in wait, until she crossed my path. When she saw who I was, or at least my temporary identity. I could get her close enough to eradicate her once and for all. I probably only had one chance, and a few seconds. I knew she was going to be a little difficult to say the least. But if I could catch her off guard for just a second.

There was a rustle in the bushes across from where I was, interrupting my thoughts so that my whole body shook into life, every sense in me suddenly awakened. I could smell the unknown trail from earlier, knew it was close. The fresh smell of nature filled my nostrils, I didn't feel the need to kill. Instead I felt hate, and disgust. I listened out closely for any signs of movement, whatever it was had kept very still. I could hear slight pants of breathing, almost like a dog. My brain went into overdrive, trying to fathom what this mysterious creature was. It didn't feel like a threat to me, but it definitely felt like an enemy. An enemy of the body I was wearing anyway. My whole body was tense, I kept my back flat and firm to the tree, daring it to make a move. But I had anticipated it all wrong, it wasn't behind me, it was in front of me.

A huge russet coloured wolf, the size of a fully grown horse was standing only inches away. Its black eyes ignited with anger. It snarled, huge white teeth as sharp and as large as knives were revealed. It lunged at me, and I lunged back.

I defended each move perfectly, the wolf went to lunge for my throat and I dodged it with complete ease. Its moves were obvious, I defended but didn't attack. I wasn't sure what to do. Finally both of us panting, I held up a hand signalling it to stop. The wolf let out another fearsome snarl.

"Wait." I commanded.

The dog obeyed, and stopped growling. It sat down, and puffed out its giant chest. I knew what I had to do. I moved forward, so that myself and the dog were only a few feet apart. I closed my eyes, and concentrated hard. Letting the body slip before me. The diguise and mask I wore, felt them slipping away. And my usual self returning. The thick raven curls became my own brunette waves. The alien white skin darkened slightly, the garish gold of my eyes was washed away by petrol blue. I took a deep breath, the scent of the dog still strong, but not a worry to me anymore. Gone was the need to kill, back to my usual self. I knew that this wasn't an evil creature.

"Now, you show yourself."

I knew that this wasn't just an abnormally large werewolf. It fought with such spirit, such human intuition. I knew that this was the work of a shape shifter. I had not encountered many before. I certainly hadn't met any who took the form of wolves. Waiting patiently for hopefully its human form. I ran my fingers through my hair, being back in my own body felt good. But it was dangerous. I had to be careful not to leave a trail of my own scent, or my cover would most certainly have been blown. I had to make sure I followed the shifter's path, hopefully masking my scent with his. I knew mine was much more subtle, of course undetectable to the normal human nose. But to a supernatural beings. I was pretty sure they wouldn't be able to suss it out straight away, but eventually. They'd realise there was much more at work here, than just werewolves and vampires.

I stretched. I couldn't help it, its so disorientating having to take over the body of someone else. You have to move in the ways that that specific body does. It sounds crazy, but if I was to take over an eighty year old man, than sure enough I would take on the posture, warts and all.

And there he was, shirtless and wearing just a pair of beat old sweats. He had the physique of a 26 year old man; he must have been at least six feet tall, huge arms and chest. But the baby face of a sixteen year old. His eyes were almost identical to the saddened pair the wolf wore. His skin was an almost identical russet match to the fur of his wolf. I couldn't help but stare, and he stared back.

"What are you?" He finally broke the silence, I snapped back into reality. There was something mesmerizing, he was kind of beautiful. Yet he looked so totured.

"What are you?" I retorted, half smiling.

* * *

That night I didn't sleep a wink. I was tossing and turning, trying to figure out what a shape shifter was doing in the middle of the forest on the border of Forks. Possibly the same reason a supe was? There was something about the tortured look in his eye that I couldn't ignore. I couldn't stop thinking about him in general. I needed to pull myself together. Lusting over him was not going to get me anywhere in the grand scheme of things. I turned over and closed my eyes, sleep followed.

In the morning, I rose late. Still getting used to being back in my own body, being in the other meant I didn't need to sleep. So I took full advantage of no longer being an insomniac. There was never a moment where I could fully switch off, I was forever thinking, always on guard and always on my feet. I didn't feel physically tired, just emotionally. And I was lonely. Probably the same reason I'm still thinking about the werewolf it was, that smell again.

Drinking from a milk carton and standing in front of my fridge, was wolf boy. He barely even looked startled as he met my eye.

"Good morning sleepyhead, I was wondering when you were ever going to wake up." He smiled a big toothy grin, his teeth similar to a vampire's, but obviously not quite. He downed the rest of the milk noisily, and tossed the carton, it landed perfectly in the trash. He grinned again. He was shirtless, again, and wearing those beat up sweats again.

I lunged forward and pinned him up against the fridge.

"What the hell, are you doing here?" I gritted my teeth, the intense heat radiating from his chest alone was almost unbearable. I couldn't be fierce for long, and weakened my grip allowing him to breathe.

"Woah, you're fiesty in the mornings." I picked up an empty glass bottle, once containing some wild flowers and threw it at his head. He ducked, of course. And instead it smashed into a million tiny pieces, scattering all over the kitchen worktops. I paced furiously. The boy sat down at the table, and gestured for me to follow. I had a full on staring contest for what seemed like an age, before I smiled. Knowing what I had to do to find out what he was, I tipped my head to the side, and he smiled back. Obviously a little unsure of what he was doing, and without giving him a chance to pull away. I leaned in and kissed him hard on the mouth.

The mixture of both our DNA's transported me through his memories. Blurs and stills of things he had seen and done recently, I didn't need to go back far. Just far enough to know his name, and what he was doing here. We were only kissing seconds, but I felt like I was looking through his mind for hours. He had been through so much. His mother dying when he was very young, his father becoming paralyzed from the waist down due to the crash, his sisters growing up and moving away, becoming a werewolf, falling in love and losing.

Jacob.

The pain he had to bear, the grief he had been through. It dropped me right back down to earth with a bang and I pulled away from his lips instantly.

"I'm s-sorry." I stumbled on my words, feeling terrible at what I'd just done.

I dove into his thoughts and memories, with no regard whatsoever for his feelings. I thought myself lucky in a few ways. I was lucky that I didn't have a proper family, then I would never suffer the pain of losing them. I was lucky that I was somewhat a nomad, never having to be upset about leaving anyone I'd become close too. I worked alone, I ate alone and I lived pretty much alone. I'd never thought before about my own happiness. I simply had a job to do, a duty even.

I was a protector, I didn't have time for the trivial mundanities of daily life. I didn't need to form the basic human connections that normal people did. I simply arrived in a place, did what I had to do, and left again. I usually worked so secretively, that I barely ever encountered anyone at all. Or anyone worth knowing for that matter. The love and hate that flooded through Jacob's head had baffled me completely and yet intrigued me so. That kiss was probably the only means of contact I'd had with another person.

Of course, I had a mate. He was out there somewhere, but I was much too young for all of that. Not in age, agewise I was about fifty years old. But a supe has to be at least a thousand before they can ever consider meeting their mate. I had a long way to go. All this time I had been thinking, I hadn't even noticed Jacob get up and leave, until a painful howl from the forest snapped me back to reality. I had work to do, this was precisely why I never got involved with anyone, human or otherwise.

It couldn't be long now, I was sure the army of newborns would arrive soon. And with them would arrive their leader, Victoria. I had to somehow inconspicuously fit myself in amongst the army, before they got to Forks. I had to go to Seattle, I had to join them, without arousing suspicion. My golden amber eyes were a straight giveaway, they symbolized that I had not been drinking human blood. I had to do the one thing I vowed never, ever to do. But of course, inside of a human's veins wasn't the only place that blood could be found. Of course, why didn't I think of it before. It would be all too easy, I would sneak in as my usual self. Steal as much as I thought I needed, and be in and out of there within minutes. I couldn't go as my vampire self, the danger too potent. And as soon as I had consumed the human blood, my eyes would glow fire red, and the lust for human blood would grow stronger and stronger, I had to leave soon, I had to make Seattle as quickly as I could.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: First of all, thank you all for your reviews, it makes me happy everytime I see someone has commented. Don't be afraid to pull it apart and give it a critique, it would really help the story. So without further adue.. **

In a deserted Alley, close to the Seattle boatyard. Lurked twenty bloodthirsty, strong and very very young and inexperienced newborn vampires. An upturned car in flames lay in the middle, the vampires fought over the trapped and terrified humans inside like pieces of meat. Ravaging them completely, not a drop was wasted. One stunning, dark blonde haired male vampire with angry red eyes paced backwards and forwards. Looking bored and almost nervous, this must have been the young one, the missing boy.

Riley had gone missing from Forks over a year ago, disappeared without a trace. He had just left some friends after a few drinks one rainy night, then he was never seen again. He was only twenty years old, young and bright with his whole life ahead of him. Little did his parents know, that never gave up on him, he didn't just have his life, he had eternity.

I had to think my plan of action fast. I had to gain their trust. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a small figure. Kicking and screaming, completely ignored by the others. Suddenly it became very quiet, and I took my opportunity. I swooped down from the building I was watching from nearby, being careful not to make a noise, and not to cross Riley's path. He would be sure to recognize my scent as unfamiliar. I kept close to the wall, and peered around the corner. Upon closer inspection, I noticed the quivering figure of a young girl, no older than thirteen. Her hair was raven and her eyes were a hungry red, she clutched at her throat, and without thinking. Lunged straight for me.

I picked her up by the scruff of her neck, like a puppy and decided to drag her right around to the rest of them. Riley appeared in front of me within an instant. His cold eyes inspecting me curiously and viciously.

"I believe this belongs to you?" I dropped the child harshly at Riley's feet. Cringing as I heard her hit the ground sharply, it can't of hurt but she let out a pitiful cry anyway.

He seemed utterly disinterested in her, he was still staring at its not Riley I'm after. It's the red headed one, the one seeking vengeance. Victoria. I couldn't work out why she had chosen such a young, and ordinary boy to do her dirty work for her. Normal he may have once been, but becoming a Vampire had smoothed out every single one of his flaws, it seemed impossible that he had any in the first place. I scrutinized each one of his perfect features, his eyes shaped almost like a diamond on its side. His nose slightly roman, his lips full and clearly thirsting for my blood. Although this wasn't about feeding, I was a Vampire. But I shouldn't of been there.

I couldn't read him, his thoughts were wordless, not even pictures. Just blurs of anger, confusion and hate. Every single hazy feeling that passed through his mind felt alien to me, strange like they had been placed there specifically. Almost like a puppet, but the strings were not visible.

Riley turned his head slightly, as if intrigued by something.

"You got something to say, newbie?" I said the words with much distaste, his lips pulled up every so slightly into a snarl, and then into a smile again. I realized just what he was smiling right behind me was a Vampire attempting to rip me limb from limb. A very young, a very callous and a very, very strong one. But not if I stepped in first.

With one fluid movement I reached out behind me and grabbed his head. Solid like a rock, just as I thought. I transported him over my head and straight onto the floor with a hard bang. His head and neck were separated by the force of the throw. Riley looked annoyed, and then impressed. Newborns are strong, but easy to predict. There is no strategy, no method to the madness. Its simply Kill. By my estimations, they would never ever get a chance to think later.

"Checkmate."

"What do you want?" He questioned, now pacing backwards and forwards in the same motion I had seen before. His thoughts more apparent now, he had let his guard down. Or rather, whatever was keeping the barriers up in the first place was far away, too far to help him anymore.

_Who is she. What will Victoria think. That man looked to be one our best fighters._

"I hear you and this, army. You've created, are planning to take on the Cullens?"A positive snarl erupted from Riley's mouth, his teeth were bared now, his posture slightly crouched. And his Army were slowly assembling behind him I counted nineteen now, minus the parasite I had just disposed of. A sea of low growls flanked him. I was out numbered, even I could not take on an army of Vampires, not in this body. But I had to save face, they were ready to attack, where I needed to negotiate.

"In that case, I'd like to join," I held out my hand, to indicate that my services were now his. Funny really, I didn't work for anyone. I always worked alone, but here I was. Offering myself to a group of baby Vamps, oh how the mighty have fallen. "Well you've got two options. You can take my hand, and welcome me along. Or you can kill me now, and you'd probably be able to. Your numbers far outweigh mine, but bear in mind that if you do, get rid of me. You'll never get to fight the Cullen's with the unfair advantage, that I can offer you. And you will most likely, lose."

* * *

I knew it wasn't going to be easy, slotting myself in to the Seattle newborns, but I had to try. It was the only option I had, Victoria wasn't going to be around for a while. She was too busy trying to recruit a few Nomadic Vampires to her already impressive army, and this suited me perfectly. Of course none of this Riley told me, he was still trying to carry on like she didn't exist, I tapped his thoughts now and then, when I could. He kept a steely guard up most of the time, but I caught a few words and images, sometimes I wish I hadn't looked at all.

Riley had been almost too easy to win over, sold by the illusion that I had some kind of amazing power that would wreak havoc and destruction amongst the Cullens'. He still crept around me and refused to be in my presence longer than five minutes. But something tells me it something more than just suspicion keeping him away.

We were losing the newborns fast, we were down to just ten. Riley was beside himself, he knew Victoria could be back at anytime, and she would be surely furious. I felt the intensity of the connection he shared with her through his thoughts, although there was something that seemed not quite right about it, it was something I had only experienced once before. With the wolf boy, with Jacob.

I thought of him often. Knowing that at some point I would surely encounter him again, the battle with the Cullen's was looming, growing closer with every second I spent with the newborns, preparing them all for battle. But we had been careless, allowed them to roam more freely than they should have. My arrival had somewhat distracted Riley from maintaining complete control, they went out in the streets. They attacked in broad daylight, it was becoming all too dangerous.

I stood with my back to the wall out in the alley next to the warehouse most of us had been hiding in during the day. Riley had told the newborns that the myths were true, that we did burn in the sunlight, but only when we were young. Which meant Riley and I were the only ones allowed out during the day, which should of meant we could of gone hunting together. But like I said, his constant avoidance of me somewhat restricts that. The smell of burning human flesh coming from the dumpster was pungent, grotesque. It was ten times thicker due to the obvious, sometimes I wasn't all that thankful for my heightened senses.

Riley stood about 30 metres away from me, pacing as usual trying to call Victoria. He probably thought I couldn't hear him swearing profusely under his breath. Within seconds I appeared at his side, I decided it was time for a few home truths.

"No luck?"

He glared and took a long step to the side away from me, stuffing the phone furiously into the pocket of his leather jacket. I took an even longer step so that our arms were almost touching.

"I know you're not commandeering this on your own, I know there's someone else involved."

"You know nothing." He spat through gritted teeth, there was a mixture of fury and upset in his eyes.

"Oh I do, I know a hell of a lot more than you'd like to realise." I tapped two fingers on my head, he looked genuinely startled.

"You can read minds? That's the same gift as-"

"-Edward," I finished for him. "I know, a hell of an advantage right?"

A flicker of a smile passed across Riley's face, could he get any more attractive? It certainly brightened him up, he took the term 'soulless murderer' a little too literally sometimes.

I moved around, so that now we were face to face, our lips inches away from each others. "You know you don't always have to be so cold."

And for the first time since the introduction, our eyes met. His fire red met the equally scarlet contrast of mine. I held his gaze than what was longer than comfortably possible, at that moment I felt something in him. He had his walls up stronger and fiercer than ever, but you didn't need to be a mind reader to sense what I was feeling right now. And then I done something most unlike me, I slowly raised my hand and placed it gently on his face. Half because I'd always wanted to see what a Vampire's skin felt like, and the other half because…


End file.
